Ecstatic Vision - For The Masses (Album Review)

Release date: September 20th 2019. Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

For The Masses – Tracklisting

1 Sage Wisdom

2 Shut Up And Drive

3 Yuppie Sacrifice

4 Like A Freak

5 For The Masses

6 The Magic Touch

7 Grasping The Void

Members

Doug Sabolik

Michael Field Connor

Kevin Nickles

Ricky Culp

Review

Ecstatic Vision new album – For The Masses – takes the freak-out and psychedelic sounds of Raw Rock Fury and matches it against the Heavy Psych Stoner Rock backdrop that appeared on their celebrated 2015 debut album Sonic Praise.

For The Masses is a more focused album with the band finally settling down for a clearer and more diverse sound. The album is quite compact and doesn’t waste a second within it’s 35 minute run time. Ecstatic Vision blend Psych, Classic Rock, Space Rock, Stoner Rock and Doom Rock for one massive Psychedelic Freak Out that bring back memories of Hawkwind and early-era Monster Magnet.

The production is excellent and the 7 songs on offer show a band who are happy and willing to experiment with every part of their overall sound and still leave you wanting more.

The vocals are quite SHAMANIC in places and have a mad preacher vibe to them. The riffs are built on a wild mix mix of ZEN LIKE CREATIVITY and Stoner Rock Weirdness. This is how a classic Psychedelic Rock album should sound like. Bold, Brave and willing to take risks at every single opportunity.

The album does see Ecstatic Vision play a wide range of different sounds and instruments on this album. Perhaps from their time recording Raw Rock Fury which sounded vastly different to Sonic Praise. It’s good to see the band blend those two different sounds onto this album and still sound vastly different as well.

Standout songs include – Shut Up And Drive, Yuppie Sacrifice, The Magic Touch and Grasping The Void.

Ecstatic Vision have found the perfect home with Heavy Psych Sounds and this albums proves that Ecstatic Vision are one of the smartest, weirdest and most exciting voices within the Psychedelic Rock/Stoner Rock scene today.

Overall, For The Masses is a gloriously hip and fresh sounding album that will rank as one of the best albums of 2019.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo. For The Masses will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds from September 20th 2019.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

MØNSTRØID Announce New Video For LOST IN THE HAZE

Cape Town based stoner/desert rock band MØNSTRØID have released the video for their track Lost In the Haze, taken from their 2017 debut album Set 1.

Shot in both South Africa and the Namibian desert the band comments on the video, “We love where we live, and we wanted to position the Western regions of Southern Africa as the African counterpart to California’s desert rock scene, from where we draw so much inspiration. The video puts the band driving through it. From the dried-up desert pans, to the water flowing out of rocks sustaining life when all around it is dry, to the semi desert where the water flows freely. All the vast desert beauty we should celebrate.”

MØNSTRØID is the love child of 4 dudes from Cape Town, born out of a deeply shared appreciation for writing, making and sharing tectonic plate-shifting music. From the rumbling depths emerges a melodic molten soundscape. From the skies a flaming fireball of fuzz. MØNSTRØID resides where these forces collide. For lovers of growling guitars, distorted groove laden bass, melodic vocals and exploding drums of thunder.

The band are in studio at the moment working on their new album which is set to release early 2020

Facebook | Bandcamp

Sūrya - Solastalgia (Album Review)

Release date: July 26th 2019. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Solastalgia – Tracklisting

1.Anthropocene 09:17

2.The Purpose 08:55

3.Fenland 02:30

4.Black Snake Prophecy 07:32

5.Saviours 05:06

Members

Raquel - drums

Greg - guitar

Mark - bass

Bartek - guitar

Review

Solastalgia is the new album from UK Doom/Post-Metal collective Sūrya and it’s a socially aware and emotionally driven album taking influences from Neurosis, Russian Circles and Fall Of Efrafa. The album doesn’t hold back in creating a bleak and sombre mood that’s quite emotionally draining. For me that’s a sign of a truly forward thinking album.

Solastalgia runs for 35 minutes across 5 songs that blend Post-Doom Metal grooves with progressive Post-Metal sounds with haunting Psychedelic and Ambient based textures that allow Sūrya to fully maximize their overall presence on this album. Some of the songs start real slow before building upto a heavier and threatening sound that captures the “Doom and Gloom” of Post-Metal like Pelican and Russian Circles used to back in the day.

The instrumental work is near flawless with the members of Sūrya all proving their work on the deep complex sounds they have written on songs such as Anthropocene, The Purpose and Black Snake Prophecy. The album does veer into Post-Black Metal territory a few moments and it’s good to hear Sūrya explore their more extreme sounds on the album.

Solastalgia won’t be for everyone and I think that works to Sūrya’s favour. As the band can take more bolder risks and decisions with their music and that shows on Solastalgia. The album takes no prisoners despite it’s short running time and actually leaves you wanting more.

Overall, Solastalgia is one of the boldest and most socially aware Post-Metal albums I’ve heard in a long time.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR for the promo. Solastalgia is available to buy on Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records now.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Morass Of Molasses - The Ties That Bind (Album Review)

Release date: June 7^th 2019. Label: Wasted State Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Ties That Bind – Tracklisting

1.The Darkening 01:12

2.Woe Betide 03:54

3.Death Of All 04:21 video

4.Estranger 06:24

5.Legend Of The Five Suns 03:54

6.As Leaves Fall 01:33

7.Persona Non Grata 06:59

8.In Our Sacred Skin 05:56

9.The Deepest Roots 04:06

Members

Vocals/Baritone - Bones Huse

Lead Guitar - Phil Williams

Drums/Vocals/Percussion - Raj Puni

Backing Vocals - Sian Greenaway

Flute - Matt Ainsworth

Review

The Ties That Bind is the new album from UK Doom/Stoner Metal crew – Morass Of Molasses – and coming two years after their excellent album – These Paths We Tread. The band continue their Blues Rock fused Doom/Stoner Metal hybrid sound that offers a highly captivating journey that sees the band take influence from the 70s, 80s and 90s Hard Rock/Heavy Metal scene.

The album can be too crazy for it’s own good and you start to notice this in the second song – Woe Behide – which plays as a FUCKED UP style of Prog Rock, Stoner Metal, Psych and Blues Rock. Whoever decided to add 70s style vocal melodies to the fast-paced modern day Stoner Rock grooves deserves a medal or pat on the back. As I wasn’t expecting that at all.

The album continues with it’s wicked mash-up of different styles for the rest of the album with Morass Of Molasses defying genre expectations and writing their own rules as they see fit. The vocals from Bones are perhaps the weirdest and best part of this album. As they sound so vastly different to other Doom/Stoner Metal albums currently within the UK scene.

Though the rest of the band deserve credit for writing highly original Doom/Stoner Metal grooves for Bones to sing his vocals against. The music can be sweet natured to listen to at times. However that doesn’t stop the band playing more distorted and nightmarish sounds on the later stages of the album. You just don’t know what to expect with this album and that what makes it such a rarity in music nowadays.

You have to expect the unexpected with Morass Of Molasses and this album will keep guessing until the very end.

Standout songs have to be: Death Of All, Estranger, Legend Of The Five Suns and Persona Non Grata.

The Ties That Band has a huge likeability factor and I can see this album establishing Morass Of Molasses as one of the most innovative bands within the UK Doom/Stoner Metal scene in the near future.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR for the promo. The Ties That Bind is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via WastedState Records now.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Russian Circles - Blood Year (Album Review)

Release date: August 2nd 2019. Label: Sargent House. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Blood Year – Tracklisting

1.Hunter Moon 02:20

2.Arluck 06:33

3.Milano 06:35

4.Kohokia 07:18

5.Ghost on High 02:34

6.Sinaia 07:30

7.Quartered 06:39

Members

Brian Cook - Bass

Mike Sullivan - Guitar

Dave Turncrantz - Drums

Review

Blood Year is the 7^th album from Post-Rock/Post-Metal heavyweights – Russian Circles – and it sees the band returning to their heavier sound they first realised on albums such as Enter, Station and Geneva. This album does have their trademark and uplifting anthemic Post-Rock grooves with Ambient sounds being part of the overall complex sound.

Blood Year is perhaps Russian Circles most engaging and fully realised album since Geneva with the band being more focused than ever before. The album once again is an emotional journey with Mike, Dave and Brian proving once again why they’re the definitive Instrumental Post-Rock/Post-Metal band of the genre. Always forward thinking and creating new sounds that we haven’t heard before.

The album is full of different styles of Post-Rock/Post-Metal but Russian Circles make it all seem very easy to listen to at the same time. Songs such as Hunter Moon, Arluck and Milano all convey a haunting atmospheric vibe hidden amongst the lush progressive sludge based melodies. The music drifts from one deeply engaging scenario to the next with the instrumental work offering a deeply unforgiving sound that’s very hard to beat.

Russian Circles don’t hold back on this album with the band having a more unforgiving nature compared to the most recent albums they’ve released. Blood Year is quite intense and it’s good to see Russian Circles have more aggression to their music. I have missed that style of music from Russian Circles over the last few albums and Blood Year sees the band retain a sense of fear to their music.

Songs such as Kohokia, Sinaia and Quartered are perhaps the best songs contained on the album. As the songs feel fully realized and have a sense of purpose to them. The Post-Rock/Post-Metal dynamics of these songs leave you wanting more and they also offer some of the heaviest sounds on the entire album.

Blood Year is a wonderfully engaging and beautifully played album with top-notch production to match. Russian Circles have been together for 15 years now and I’m hoping that they’re together for many more so they can release more stunning albums such as this.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Rarely Unable PR for the promo. Blood Year is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Sargent House now.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

DÖ Announce New Album Details and Exclusive Song Premiere For COSMIC COMMUNION

Helsinki based, riff-praising, cosmos-worshipping trio DÖ have revealed the lyric video for the new track Cosmic Communion. Taken from their upcoming album Astral Death Cult which releases on the 20th September 2019 on Lay Bare Recordings and Mercyful Tapes.

Astral Death Cult is the bands second full-length album. This vicious death cult lead by Big Dog (guitar), Joe E. Deliverance (drums) and Deaf Hank (vox & bass) feeds on dark astral energy and compresses it into what they call döömer – a unique northern mix of stoner, doom, sludge, and psychedelic elements with hints of death / black metal.

DÖ has slowly but steadily grown the global congregation of döömernauts through a series of independent releases and by touring around Finland and the Baltics, receiving praise from both fans and media all around the world.
The album is being released on Vinyl by the cool folks at Lay Bare Recordings.

The album is also being released on Cassette Tape via Mercyful Tapes

We are happy to premiere the new song - Cosmic Communion - from the upcoming album.

DÖ have released a statement about the new song: 

"Cosmic Communion one of the fast songs on the album. It’s inspired by the great Carl Sagan as it salutes the unity of the universe and the fact that all life is born in the nuclear furnaces of collapsing stars."

Thanks to Warren at Plug Music Agency for all of the details.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Blackwater Holylight announce anticipated sophomore album Veils of Winter

Portland, OR quintet Blackwater Holylight announce their forthcoming sophomore album Veils of Winter (RidingEasy Records) today, sharing the lead single. Hear and share the immediately classic hooks of "Motorcycle" via Bandcamp and YouTube. Blackwater Holylight hit the road hard this Fall, supporting former RidingEasy label mates Monolord throughout the US in November, as well as Thou in September, plus a handful of hometown shows. Please see complete dates below. Blackwater Holylight, as the name suggests, is all about contrasts. It's a fluid convergence of sound that's heavy, psychedelic, melodic, terrifying and beautiful all at once.  As a heavy band, their songs aren't anchored to riffs, but rather riffs come and go in waves that surface throughout the band's meditative, entrancing songs. It's a hypnotic sound, with orchestral structures that often build tension and intrigue before turning the song on its head -- not by simply getting louder or heavier, nor by just layering elements. They expertly subvert the implied heaviness of a part, dissecting it and splaying the song's guts out to seep across the sonic spectrum. Now, having toured extensively following the band's wildly-successful breakout self-titled debut in 2018, Blackwater Holylight has honed their sound and identity to a powerfully captivating beast. Their live set is all about the slow build, seeming to combine the melodic tension of early Sonic Youth crossed with the laconic fever-dream blues of the first Black Sabbath album and wiry experimentation of post-punk and krautrock. The lineup on this album is Allison (Sunny) Faris (bass/vocals), Laura Hopkins (guitar/vocals) and Sarah McKenna (synths), with new guitarist Mikayla Mayhew and drummer Eliese Dorsay fleshing out their sound in exciting ways.  "The process of this album was vastly different from our first record," says Faris. "One, because we recorded it over the course of a few weeks, whereas the first record was over the course of about a year. And two, this album was a true collaboration between the five of us. Each of us had extremely equal parts in writing and producing, we all bounced ideas off each together, and we all had a say in what was going on during every part of the process." "One of our favorite things about this album is that because it was so collaborative, we didn't compartmentalize ourselves into one vibe." She continues. "It's heavy, psychedelic, pop, shoegaze, doom, grunge, melodic and more. The whole process was extremely organic and natural for us, we were just being ourselves." Veils of Winter opens with fuzzed-drenched, drop-tuned bass and baritone guitar leading a dirge riff on "Seeping Secrets." Faris' lilting and funereal vocals drop in, adding to the mournful atmosphere until a short turnaround progression hints at changes to come, as Faris and Hopkins harmonize eerily and the tune suddenly turns into a krautrock charge.  "Motorcycle" kicks off deceptively with a heavy grunge riff building up for about 40-seconds before the song abruptly shifts gears into a synth-led post-punk harmony, sounding something like Lush meets Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd. "Death Realms" is perhaps the poppiest track, based around soaring shoegaze guitars and interwoven light vocal harmonies. Soft piano notes, occasional woozy whammy bar dives and a driving tom-tom beat solidify its hooks. "Spiders" is a creepy-crawly guitar riff and counterpoint keys, while "Moonlit" explores prog-structures with a shredding guitar solo crescendo.  The penultimate track, "Lullaby" is exactly that, a lulling, expansive tune exemplifying Blackwater Holylight's genre smashing sound as it subtly moves across a vast sonic landscape atop a hypnotic 6/8 beat and repetitive 3-note motif. Throughout the album, their songs shirk traditional verse-chorus-verse structure in favor of fluid, serpentine compositions that move with commanding grace. Veils of Winter will be available on LP, CD and download on October 11th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at www.ridingeasyrecs.com. BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT LIVE 2019: 08/09 Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge - Planned Parenthood benefit 08/24 Portland, OR @ Star Theater w/ Kadavar, Danava 09/23 Tallahassee, FL @ The Bark # 09/24 Tampa, FL @ The Blue Note # 09/26 Miami, FL @ Las Rosa's # 09/27 Orlando, FL @ Will's Pub # 09/28 Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic # 09/29 Pensacola, FL @ Chizuco # 10/24 Portland, OR @ Star Theater - Album release show 11/05 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick * 11/06 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress * 11/07 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister * 11/09 Austin, TX @ Barracuda - Levitation Fest - RidingEasy Stage 11/10 Lafayette, LA @ Freetown Boom Boom Room * 11/11 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks * 11/12 Atlanta, GA @ 529 * 11/13 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight * 11/14 Richmond, VA @ Camel * 11/15 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery * 11/16 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church * 11/17 New York, NY @ Saint Vitus * 11/20 Chicago, IL @ Reggie's * 11/21 Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle Brewing * 11/22 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar * 11/23 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck * 11/25 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater * 11/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom * # w/ Thou * w/ Monolord Artist: Blackwater Holylight Album: Veils of Winter Label: RidingEasy Records Release Date: October 11th, 2019 01. Seeping Secrets 02. Motorcycle 03. Spiders 04. The Protector 05. Daylight 06. Death Realms 07. Lullaby 08. Moonlit On The Web: ridingeasyrecs.com instagram.com/blackwaterholylight Thanks to Palmer Turner Overdrive and US/THEM Group for all of the info.